GBIOLOGICS, a biotechnology company developing novel therapies for autoimmune diseases, announced that it has been selected for the “Growth-Stage Technology Collaboration Acceleration Program” under the 2026 Korea BioHealth Value-up Innovation Program (K-VIP), an initiative led by Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI).
K-VIP is designed to support the sustainable global expansion of Korean biohealth companies in response to increasingly stringent regulations and changes in global supply chains and trade environments. The program provides support tailored to companies at different stages of global expansion, including access to global clusters, professional consulting, regulatory support, global marketing, and open innovation. In particular, the Growth-Stage Technology Collaboration Acceleration Program focuses on accelerating R&D and commercialization through technology collaboration between Korean biohealth companies and leading global companies, while strengthening their global competitiveness.
Selected for the program, GBIOLOGICS is a biotechnology company developing next-generation therapies for autoimmune diseases based on recombinant stabilized Galectin-9 (sGal-9). Since its establishment in 2018, the company has continued to advance sGal-9-related R&D, intellectual property protection, and manufacturing process development. Its pipeline is currently expanding across multiple autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
The company’s lead pipeline candidate, GB910, is a novel therapeutic candidate designed to directly modulate fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS), which play an important role in the pathological progression of rheumatoid arthritis. GBIOLOGICS’ sGal-9 binds to CD44 expressed on FLS and inhibits the MIF-CD44 signaling axis, thereby suppressing the proliferation and migration of hyperactivated FLS. Through this differentiated mechanism, the company is developing GB910 as a potential First-in-Class therapy for rheumatoid arthritis, distinct from conventional treatments targeting TNF, IL-6, JAK, and other immune or inflammatory pathways.
Through its selection for K-VIP, GBIOLOGICS plans to expand technology collaboration with leading global companies and strengthen the development and commercialization competitiveness of its core pipeline. In particular, the company intends to accelerate the global commercialization of its sGal-9-based autoimmune disease therapies by linking preparations for U.S. clinical development of GB910 with global co-development and licensing opportunities.
